Friday, May 1st, 2026

Welcome to Friday’s edition of The Pennant. To listen to this newsletter, click the “Listen Online” link in the top right corner of this email.

Post time for the 152nd Kentucky Derby is 6:57 p.m. EDT Saturday at Churchill Downs — the greatest two minutes in all sports.

This coming Tuesday is the Ohio State Primary. Find out what tips the Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has regarding this in the Top of the Fold.

Also, Spirit Airlines is at severe risk of shutting down. As a result, we have written a farewell to the budget airline in our Peach Section.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is encouraging voters to use early voting options this weekend before Tuesday's primary, reminding them to bring a photo ID to the polls.

LaRose also called on voters to treat poll workers with respect, noting they are volunteers and neighbors who give their time to run elections.

Read more on this story here.

The Supreme Court's conservative majority signaled it will likely side with President Trump's effort to end temporary deportation protections for migrants from Haiti and Syria, a ruling that could affect thousands of immigrants living and working in Ohio.

The court also suggested federal judges may not have the authority to hear legal challenges to such decisions.

Read more about the court’s decision.

Riding a wave of strong performances, including a Penn Relays title not won since 1932, the Ohio State track and field team hosts 23 schools at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium this Friday and Saturday, with free admission and parking for all fans.

See the full details of the event here.

The Peach Truck, known for bringing fresh, farm-direct peaches straight to your neighborhood, has announced its 2026 tour dates for Ohio — Mark your calendar.

America has lost something irreplaceable. Not a great airline — Spirit was never that — but something far more valuable: free, unscripted, live-action social media content delivered at 31,000 feet.

Spirit was the Popeyes drive-through of aviation. They never quite got your order right, but you kept coming back — partly for the price, mostly for the show. 

The gate was a floor show. Boarding was a contact sport. Deplaning was a hostage negotiation with carry-ons. 

And through it all, the cabin air held that signature Spirit bouquet: stale cigarettes, garage sale corduroys, and the faint ghost of a decision someone deeply, deeply regretted.

Flying Spirit was as gratifying as a hostile takeover of an orphanage — morally questionable, financially ruthless, and yet somehow you felt you'd won something. Bag fees. Seat fees. Possibly an eye contact fee. 

And still, people came. They fought. They flew. They recorded. They posted. Thank you, Spirit!

Delta will never give us this. United cannot. Only Spirit delivered that raw, unfiltered, deeply American fighting spirit — and now, like that checked bag that never arrived, it's gone forever.

As golf fans look ahead to June 1 and the 50th edition of the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio — Jack Nicklaus's crown jewel and his monument to everything the game holds sacred — the financial spectacle known as LIV Golf is folding.

Professional golf is among the most tradition-rich sports on earth. After Bobby Jones, you just need first names when discussing the greats of the game: Arnold, Tiger, Rory, Scottie. 

The PGA Tour carries a cultural weight permanently fixed in the hearts of fans ranging from devoted badge-wearing spectators to Thursday night beer-league hackers desperately trying to break 90. 

So was there ever any real reason to believe a rival tour bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund would crack it? Cool graphics weren't going to cut it.

We got our answer. PIF is pulling funding after 2026, tournaments are being postponed, and agents for multiple LIV players are quietly calling the PGA Tour asking to come back.

The welcome mat won't be warm. The Tour's Returning Member Program has expired, and those knocking now will face far harsher conditions than Brooks Koepka received. Players who filed antitrust suits — Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau among them — face additional scrutiny. Some may find no path at all.

LIV offered staggering paydays and the freedom to wear shorts. It never offered anything resembling the sport millions of people love to watch and get exasperated playing.

While Jack's tournament prepares to mark half a century of genuine prestige, LIV's legacy is a cautionary tale: in golf, as in life, you cannot buy your way into reverence.

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Previous question
- A random farmer who needed drones - 30%
- A person(s) looking to sell them/make a profit off them - 30%
- Domestic and/or foreign terrorists - 40%

The Pennant welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns from readers. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity, and AP style. The Pennant reserves the right to verify all information contained in submissions before publication.

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